Notorious YouTube prankster Daniel 'Jarvo' Jarvis strikes again

18 Jan 2023
Daniel Jarvis

Daniel 'Jarvo' Jarvis' Match of the Day porn stunt is the latest in years of pranks - including one pitch invasion that ended up in court and saw him banned from sporting events for two years after he crashed into Jonny Bairstow.

The YouTuber was even jailed in 2015 for running amok in The National Portrait Gallery during a fake heist that saw one witness pass out amid fears it was a terror attack weeks after the Tunisian beach shootings.

Last night, in a departure from his usual pitch and stage invasions, the Gravesend YouTuber managed to sneak a phone on to a BBC set and boomed out sexual sounds as a ringtone as Gary Lineker spoke to millions watching at home.

Jarvis' latest caper has sparked a BBC investigation because the Match of the Day set should have been secure. He has also disrupted multiple sporting events including the NFL, international rugby, cricket, diving and a recent Real Madrid match.

He first came to the public's attention when he upset the crowd at the London Aquatics Centre in 2015 when he took a dive in front of Tom Daley.

Daniel Jarvis collides with Jonny Bairstow after invading the Oval pitch in September 2021 

The YouTuber was at Croydon Magistrates Court and was found guilty of aggravated trespass. He was sentenced last year and banned from stadiums an hour before and after 

He was jailed with three others for a fake heist at The National Portrait Gallery, which terrified visitors

Daniel 'Jarvo' Jarvis jumps into the pool during the Men's 10m Final during the FINA/NVC Diving World Series at London's Aquatics Centre

They booed Jarvis after he disrupted the FINA Diving World Series, where Tom Daley was competing, by jumping from a 10metre board. He had rushed past a security guard and tore off his clothes as he climbed the steps to the board.

In the same year Jarvis, then 27, and Endrit Ferizolli, 20, Ebenezer Menzah, 29, and Helder Gomes, 23, were jailed for a total of 72 weeks after pleading guilty to two counts of using threatening behaviour, causing fear of unlawful violence. 

They staged a fake art heist sparking a chaotic stampede at The National Gallery, running around clutching art with tights over their heads.

Visitors fled as they raced through the popular tourist hotspot, leaving some trampled while one woman passed out. 

The incident was shortly after the Tunisian beach massacre and magistrates warned the men - calling themselves the 'Trollstation' - and their 'warped' stunts could cause fatalities in the panic. 

A year later X Factor contestant Honey G was left shaken after Jarvis and three friends stormed the stage and tried to steal her trademark cap and sunglasses.

Simon Cowell looked terrified as the camera quickly cut away from the stage as one of the men grabbed hold of Honey and tried to wrestle away the microphone.

In October 2021, Jarvis had to be escorted off the field at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff after pitch invading and lining up alongside New Zealand's rugby stars before their clash with Wales.

It was his fifth stunt of the year as it came after the three cricket invasions and a disruption to an NFL game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

In September 2021 he was initially accused of assaulting England cricket star Jonny Bairstow after sprinting on to the pitch in a full England kit and trying to bowl - crashing into Bairstow in the process. 

Daniel Jarvis later posted a picture of himself with an identical phone to the one Gary Lineker posted  in a prank that has sparked a BBC investigation

The BBC were left red-faced after a prankster sabotaged coverage of Wolves v Liverpool FA Cup tie by hiding mobile phone on set that played porn film noises over Gary Lineker

Jarvis is escorted off the pitch by security and member of the The United States backroom staff after interrupting play during the International Friendly match between Saudi Arabia and United States at Estadio Nueva Condomina on September 27, 2022 in Murcia, Spain.

Daniel Jarvis, known as Jarvo 69, in confronted by Jacksonville Jaguars' Logan Cooke (left) as he invades the pitch during the match which is part of the NFL London Games at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday October 17, 2021

Jarvo, in a mask, joins the New Zealand team for the anthems ahead of the Autumn International match between Wales and New Zealand at Principality Stadium on October 30, 2021

Jarvis is led away from the field after claiming he didn't intend to disrupt the test match on September 3, 2021

He ended up being prosecuted for aggravated trespass after the assault case was dropped. Defending himself in court, Jarvis said he was not guilty because he bought a ticket for the match with India and had given joy to thousands who watched his video.  

But he was found guilty and banned from all sports arenas in England and Wales for two years - from an hour before any event begins through to an hour after it has concluded. He was also banned from travelling abroad for 12 months.

The court heard Jarvis has 15 convictions for 21 offences, including for being drunk in an aircraft and invading the pitch at White Hart Lane - the former home of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. 

At Croydon Magistrates' Court, District Judge Daniel Benjamin said: ''Your behaviour was just not cricket. It brought the match to a halt for approximately five minutes.

'You deliberately set out to disrupt a high-profile sporting event in order to gain publicity for yourself and footage for your own YouTube channel, from which you presumably also profited through a small share of the advertising revenue depending on the number of times the channel was viewed'.

Jarvis was already banned from Lord's and Headingley for being on the field of play during the second and third Tests against India. He was later found guilty of aggravated trespass.

The court was shown broadcast footage of him running onto the pitch, plus a video he recorded showing him hiding in a toilet before sprinting on to the field after receiving a phone call telling him to go.

The court also viewed videos of him invading the pitch at two previous cricket matches between England and India, at Lord's on August 12 and at Headingly on August 25.

Jarvis said he had not been arrested for the first two pitch invasions, claiming he did not believe he was 'breaking any law' and 'no-one has been prosecuted for these things before'.

He took to the stand, saying: 'I didn't intend to disrupt the match. I didn't know when I was coming out. Why wasn't I arrested before? Why is everyone attacking me for it?'

He said he gets 'positive feedback' on his videos, which he makes for 'people's pleasure', adding: 'I get loads of people saying they have got mental health (problems) and my videos make them happy.'

He answered 'no comment' to every question when interviewed by police, the court heard.

Jarvis claimed he did not believe he was trespassing because he had a ticket, claiming people 'run out naked' during games but do not get arrested.

He told the judge he 'accidentally' made contact with Bairstow, admitting 'I can't remember the man's name'.

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